


deserve to be alone

by uptownskunk



Category: Marvel, Punisher (Comics)
Genre: Angst, Female Friendship, Gen, Post-Canon, Prison, The Punisher (2011)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-02
Updated: 2019-01-02
Packaged: 2019-10-02 13:31:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17265086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/uptownskunk/pseuds/uptownskunk
Summary: Norah visits Rachel in prison.





	deserve to be alone

**Author's Note:**

> Set in Greg Rucka’s run of The Punisher (2011), post-canon.

“You look good. I don’t really think orange is your color,” Norah says into the phone, eyes meeting Rachel’s on the other side of the glass barrier between them. “but you look good – are you?”

“I’m alive,” Rachel says flatly, the same way she did every time Norah visited her, every time Norah asked her how she was. _I’m alive and I’m not happy about it_. “Murdoch’s still pushing me to take an insanity plea.”

“And it’s still a good idea.”

“No, it’s still a lie.” Rachel corrects sharply, then lets out a loud breath. “We’ve had this conversation before.”

“Yeah,” Norah agrees. “and we’re probably going to have it again until one of us decides to stop being a stubborn bitch. Never happen.”

Rachel lets out a startled laugh and for a second, _just_ a second, Norah swears she see life in her eyes.

It’s gone as quickly as it came over her.

Gone faster, even.

“When are you going to get tired of visiting me? My story’s over, Norah. It’s done.”

“No one’s story is ever done,” Norah says gently, but firmly, “and besides, I’m not here for a story, I’m here for my _friend_. She looks like crap in an orange jumpsuit and she needs to listen to her lawyer’s perfectly _sound_ advice, but she doesn’t deserve to be left alone in prison with no one in the world to come see her.”

“Doesn’t she?” Rachel says more than asks. 

Norah answers her honestly anyway. “No, she doesn’t.”

Rachel goes quiet at that and Norah sits there in the quiet with her for awhile, just the sound of their breathing coming though over the phones, before she hangs her phone up and gets up without a word, this visit done.

Maybe the next one will be better.


End file.
